The embodiments herein relate generally to an apparatus for storing and dispensing baby bottle nipples and collars.
Parents have to feed their infants or toddlers multiple times throughout the day and/or night. Baby bottle nipples and collars need to be washed and sanitized before each use. When traveling, it is advantageous for parents to carry multiple clean bottle nipples and collars because it is not always convenient to clean them before each successive use. A baby bottle nipple and collar storage and dispenser case is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,350, which is a device comprising a cylindrical tubular member comprising a first open end and a second open end, first and second caps affixed to the open ends of the tubular member, and a divider insert placed within the cylindrical tubular member to separate the clean nipples and collars from the used nipples and collars. However, this device is limited because the divider insert is not water resistant and/or waterproof. Further, the insert is not designed to prevent a cross-contamination between the clean nipples and collars stored above the insert and the used nipples and collars stored below the insert. Another limitation is the first and second caps are each engaged with an open end of the cylindrical tubular member by a threaded ring that is tethered to the cap. However, this threaded ring is costly to manufacture and is not durable because the threads are especially vulnerable to premature wear and tear. This may render the threaded rings ineffective or unusable, thereby affecting the use, longevity and structural integrity of the caps.
As such, there is a need in the industry for an apparatus for storing and dispensing baby bottle nipples and collars that has a water resistant/water proof insert that effectively prevents a cross-contamination between the stored clean and dirty nipples and collars. There is a further need in the industry for an apparatus for storing and dispensing baby bottle nipples and collars that is durable and structurally sound.